MSInternational Security Woes Split Afghan Aid Community The Author is the President of IFMSA-USA, and recently returned from Afghanistan where he worked with various NGOs and docu mented his experience for both The Crosslines Afghanistan Monitor, and Medical Student International Magazine. id agencies in Afghanistan are International Rescue Committee struggling to build consensus (IRC), which drafted and circulated on how to deal with a the statement. deteriorating security environment. As some publicly advocate for an The IRC and other groups cam increased peacekeeping presence, paigning for an ISAF extension others argue these calls may do argue that Afghanistan is at a criti more harm than good. cal point in its reconstruction. If unchecked, they fear, the process Over the past three weeks two could collapse rapidly. The workers belonging to the Afghan Swedish Committee for Red Crescent Society and a driver Afghanistan (SCA) supports this for the American aid agency, Mercy view. Anders Fange of SCA Corps, were killed in Afghanistan’s stressed that “there is no other solu troubled southern region, forcing tion.” the UN to suspend road missions in that area. Violence gruesomely Challenging Neutrality claimed another victim when a girls’ school, funded by the Several prominent aid groups oper European Union, was attacked in ating in Afghanistan, however, late August. think otherwise. They consider such public advocacy efforts are a Growing concerns have turned into direct request for military involve calls for action. Well before its ment and fear this threatens their August takeover of the humanitarian neutrality. International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, NATO was Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is already under high pressure from one agency holding this view. The aid groups. In a statement, group has refused to sign the state “Afghanistan: A Call for Security” ment. In this push for military (first released on June 17, 2003) operation, they feel that complex over 90 humanitarian, human rights political factors have not been con and conflict prevention organiza sidered enough. “Making this kind tions summon NATO to expand the of call does not help because we ISAF mandate to “key locations threaten our ability to collaborate and major transport routes outside with several political parties when of Kabul.” trying to gain access to populations that do not get aid,” said Xavier “After the war in Iraq, we recog Crombe, MSF Head of Mission in nized the need to move forward on Kabul. He and his colleagues point an advocacy effort to get out that the outcome of the peace Afghanistan back in the ‘hearts and process is uncertain. “If it fails and minds’ of the world,” said David we would be known to have sided Murphy, Country Director of the
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with the government then we will not be able to access populations.” The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), too, finds it puzzling that aid agencies are open ly requesting what they consider to be military action. “I do not under stand what the motivation for such calls is,” said the ICRC’s press offi cer, Simon Chorno. He is even more perplexed to see organiza tions that do not operate in Afghanistan, like the Ethiopian Aid Council and the Kenyan Refugee Consortium, asking for expansion of peacekeeping forces. “It shows serious worries about security and confusion on what to do about it,” he mentioned. While acknowledging that the con cerns of other organizations, sup porters of the ISAF expansion say they are not jeopardizing neutrality. “The whole point is about being neutral but without hiding on human rights and impunity,” according to Mr. Fange. “I would like to tell other agencies that a coin usually has two sides but here they have five or six, meaning that it’s hard to have a clear cut vision of the security situation.” “Of course it is a political state ment,” admits Mr. Murphy. He emphasizes that it is important to bear in mind that this call for secu rity is not referring to the aid com munity present in Afghanistan. Instead, “we mean security for Afghans.” If the focus is on security for Afghans, Afghan aid organizations may be expected to take an active
Medical Student International Magazine, Spring 2004